Suffering from a slump in sales, German carmaker Opel is in talks with the country's economy minister about a 3.3 billion euro cash injection from the government. The company, which is owned by troubled US carmaker General Motors, announced last week that it needed the money to avert job losses and plant closures.

Economy minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said on Monday that he would not be rushed into making a decision about state aid. He said the government would carry out "a very far-reaching examination" of Opel's proposals.

"We are dealing with taxpayer money and, therefore, we need sound consideration," he said.

Asked whether the German state would end up taking a stake in Opel, Guttenberg told ARD television, "It would be imprudent if I were to rule something out before I have even heard the details of a concept. I can't do that. These are questions that remain open."

GM Europe proposed last week that Opel should be partly separated from its parent company's US operations, but such a move would require financing that GM is unable to provide.

The US carmaker, which was toppled by Toyota as the world's top-selling car firm earlier this year, is trying to wind down some of its European operations as part of a massive cost-cutting exercise, even as it asks the US government for massive loans to avoid bankruptcy.

The minister added he would hold talks over the next two weeks with officials from GM and Germany's regional governments. In addition, he said he would use a trip to the US in two weeks to discuss the matter with his American counterpart.

The head of GM Europe, Carl-Peter Forster, has said that the company needs 3.3 billion euros ($4.2 billion) Europe-wide to survive. "We are agreed that we will ask other countries, in which we have significant activities, to contribute to this financing requirement. How much and how this will happen still needs to be discussed," he said.

Forster had said on Friday that GM's plan included 3.0 billion euros from the parent company itself along with around one billion euros in cost savings. Opel would repay any state aid by 2014-2015, he said.

Germany has repeatedly said any decision to plough money into Opel would depend on whether GM lays out a plan allowing its subsidiary to continue as a viable business. For its part, GM would "do everything in its power to answer any open questions as soon as possible," Forster said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had on Sunday called for all the countries involved with Opel -- which include Belgium, Poland, Spain and the UK - to work together.

Analysts say that with her priority on jobs in an election year, Opel is likely to get the funding despite Gutenberg's non-committal statements. The company employs almost 26,000 people.